iPad Declared Fastest Selling Gizmo of All Time

Oh you just know this one's going to turn up in Steve Jobs' next Keynote. According to a financial analyst working for Bernstein Research, the iPad, having sold over 8.5 million units and counting, is the fastest selling device of all time. Now, get ready for the shocker: The numbers in the Bernstein study were crunched before the iPad was made available to shoppers at Walmart or Target. Just imagine the sheer number of units Apple will be putting in the hands of consumers over the upcoming holiday season thanks to the deeper market penetration made possible by selling their tablets at big box stores within driving distance of even the most remote North American communities.

Crazy.

More interesting than this, a recent study by NDP indicated that 13% of all iPad users polled said that they would not have purchased a personal computer if they had been given the option to buy an iPad first. With sales numbers as high as we're seeing here, coupled with the devotion that users have to the Cupertino-designed tablet and the sheer number of applications available for consumer use, it is very hard to envision how any similar device released in the months to come will be able to put much of a dent in the iPad's soaring popularity.